The invention relates to an installation for drying organic matter, in particular kitchen and food wastes or other biological matter, including those which contain packaging residues, napkins, straws or the like, having the following components:
a) a vacuum mixer having at least one mixing blade in a housing and having a closable filling opening 42 for introducing the organic matter and a closable emptying opening on the underside or laterally toward the underside for the dried matter,
b) at least one vacuum pump, connected to at least one extraction connector 40 fitted in the housing of the mixer above the maximum filling height, in order to extract the air in the mixer to produce the vacuum,
c) a heating device for heating the organic matter,
d) at least one condenser, connected to the waste air line of the vacuum pump, and having a cooling unit connected thereto for condensing the extracted air, and
e) a drain line for the condensate obtained from the waste air by cooling in the condenser.
In order to dry biological matter, for example clarified sludges accumulating during wastewater clarification, liquid manure and other microbiological and regenerative biological matter, in particular following fermentation, it is known to dry it in ovens following pressing and to burn the solid residual components in CHP units. It is further known, from DE 28 33 731 A1, to mix biological matter from the group comprising solid municipal waste, agricultural wastes, foodstuffs wastes, paper wastes, disintegrated wood, wood wastes or other cellulose-rich materials with binders from the group comprising water, clarified sludge, waste liquors, tar oil condensate, molasses residues or other starch-containing waste materials with one another and to compress it into briquettes.
DE 692 22 135 T2 discloses a process for the production of fuel by drying a sludge dewatered to a dry mass content of at least 15% to 30%. The dewatered sludge, before drying, is mixed with a combustible material which has a lower water content than the sludge, to form a composite product. By using a drying installation for heating, the mixture is dried to a desired, combustible dry matter. The drying installation is a drum installation having a heating device at one end. The composite product is supplied directly to the heating device and, for the most part, is shaped mechanically and pneumatically to form a fuel. The fuel can be handled, for example, in the form of pellets.
A vacuum mixer for dental applications and the like is known from DE-B 1 607 783 in order to mix casting and/or kneading compounds with one another. Furthermore, devices for mixing and kneading organic or inorganic compounds or dough are known in an extremely wide range of designs. According to U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,504, these can have outer mixing blades and inner mixer disks. U.S. Pat. No. 1,825,261 discloses a coffee bean mixing machine in which helical mixing blades are provided right through a closed cylindrical housing in order to mix the coffee beans with one another.
The known installations for drying organic matter are large installations. They are not suitable for processing kitchen wastes, food wastes and other wastes accumulating in the gastronomic and canteen sector and in the use of foodstuffs hygienically in such a way that these can be burned or supplied to waste utilization as a dry product, without the liberation of smells. Until now, the wastes have been collected over days or weeks in containers as foul smelling matter and then disposed of via the domestic waste or following complicated sterilization.
DE 195 07 181 A1 discloses an apparatus for mixing or kneading organic or inorganic matter or dough, having an elongated housing with a substantially horizontal longitudinal axis. Outer and inner mixing blades are mounted around this longitudinal axis and can be driven. In this case, the mixing blades are constructed and driven in such a way that the outer mixing blade conveys the material to be mixed in one longitudinal direction and the inner mixing blade conveys the material to be mixed in the opposite direction or vise versa, or else conveyance in the same direction is carried out.
WO 00/52405 A discloses an installation for the hygienic treatment and drying of organic waste. This waste is treated by means of stirring elements in a vertical reactor, being heated in the vertical reactor by microwave energy introduced from outside. Furthermore, this reactor can be evacuated.
The invention is based on the object of specifying an installation to permit organic matter, in particular biological matter such as kitchen and food wastes, contaminated or not contaminated with napkins, drinking straws, packaging residues, to be treated virtually without smell to form dry matter which can be supplied to domestic waste or combustion in a heating installation or to other uses or disposed of without hesitation.